Friday, 9 December 2016

The White Wallabies of Bruny Island.

We came to Bruny Island for the white wallabies. Well I did, David came for me - he isn't a wildlife person. Bruny Island, a small island off the coast of Tasmania is home to a colony of rare white wallabies. I have a long history of disappointment in the wild animal spotting stakes. Just recently I have failed to see whales in Alaska, cassowaries in Queensland and sunbathing kangaroos in Esperance but Bruny Island proved the exception. Within half an hour of arriving we saw two of these beautiful creatures up very close in the bush.

The wallabies live around the south side of Adventure Bay. We went looking for them at the Adventure Bay caravan park where I had read they are often seen. It was about 1 pm and like almost all Australian animals the white wallabies of Bruny Island are most active at dusk and dawn, so while I was confident we were in the right place I was prepared for yet another animal spotting disappointment.

The caravan park wallabies were nowhere to be seen but not far past the park we turned down a dirt road (Lockleys Road) and about a half a kilometre along we saw our first white wallaby. He and a second, dark brown, wallaby were sitting about 25 metres from the road on the edge of a paddock. A wire paddock fence stopped us from getting very close but he seemed as curious about us as we were of him. He stood and posed for the camera for fifteen minutes or so before bounding away. Another half a kilometre further along we found a second white wallaby. This time there was no fence and he let us walk within a metre or two of him. Like the first wallaby he seemed completely unafraid of us and posed happily for the camera.

Bruny Island has a permanent population of 650 people. About 100 kms in length it consists of a north island and a south island connected by a spectacular spit of sand and dunes known as The Neck. There are no large towns. Apart from a few cafes and holiday accommodation there are very few facilities.

North Bruny Island is mostly pasture and light bushland. This is where the ferry docks. South Bruny has large areas of rainforest and plenty of untouched wilderness in the South Bruny National Park. Bruny is a mecca for bushwalkers.

Penguins and other wildlife -

From September to February each year Little Penguins (Fairy Penguins) come ashore along The Neck to breed. They are very timid and don't leave the water until dusk. David and I left Bruny long before the penguins were due to arrive, however judging by the number of burrows we saw, they must come ashore in significant numbers.

The Neck which connects North and South Bruny Island. The stairs lead to a spectacular view.

If you want to see the penguins you will have to stay overnight. The last ferry leaves Bruny at 7.15 pm and sunset is not until about 8.45 pm. You don't need a special tour to see them. There is a viewing platform at The Neck. You can't miss it - just look for the sign.

This sign is right next to the road. The stairs lead to a penguin viewing platform above the beach.

Apart from white and brown wallabies and penguins, Bruny has echidnas, possums and pademelons. David and I caught sight of a blonde echidna by the side of the road but by the time we were able to stop he had gone.

We saw several brown wallabies not far from where we saw the white wallabies.

Cape Bruny Lighthouse - Cape Bruny Lighthouse is at the far southern tip of the island. Like all lighthouses it is worth the drive, if only for the photo opportunity. David and I have seen endless lighthouses on our travels but we couldn't leave the island without adding Cape Bruny Lighthouse to our list.

Access to Bruny Island is by car ferry from the small town of Kettering, about 33km south of Hobart.

The ferries run every half hour in summer and take about 15 minutes. You can check the timetable - here. Note that the last ferry off the island leaves at 7.15 pm. The timetable varies according to the season so check before you go.

The ferry costs $33 per car. The entrance fee to South Bruny National Park is not included in the ferry ticket. Only some of the island is within the National Park. You can see the white wallabies and the penguins without entering the park.

Bruny Island is 100 km long so you will need a car.

Fill up with petrol before you catch the ferry. There is a petrol station at Kettering. We were told there is a petrol station on the island at Alonnah but we didn't see it. To be fair, for once we were organised so we weren't actually looking for it.

You can hire bicycles in Kettering but even though David and I are avid cyclists we decided the island was far too large to cycle around in a day.

UFOs and Extraterrestrials: If you watched the Kettering Incident on T.V earlier this year you will be relieved, or perhaps disappointed, to hear that we didn't see a single alien either in Kettering or on Bruny!

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If you ever return to Australia, have a look at the post I did two weeks ago on The 17 Best Places to see Australian Animals in the Bush. I wrote it for people just like you. There are so many wild kangaroos in Australia, I have seen thousands of them but you have to know where to look.

These wallabies are so, so cute! I didn't know they existed. I am sure people go to the island to see them. I wouldn't mind going if there is as much wildlife as you describe. I can believe your husband is not into wildlife. #TheWeeklyPostcard

Wow, what a cool find. And lucky for David that you are a wildlife person :) Those white wallabies are really fascinating, and beautiful in their own way. I am so glad your luck changed. I am adding Bruny island (which I misread as Bunny Island when I linked to the post) to my bucket list. We still haven't made it to Tasmania, but now we need an extra night when we do go. Thanks for the tips at the bottom, they will come in handy.

Speaking of disappointment, we recently failed to see whales in Alaska too, Lyn. I've never even heard about white wallabies, so thank you for educating me about this rare animal. They surely look a lot like kangaroos. I'd love to see them myself someday. #TheWeeklyPostcard

Wallabies are often mistaken for kangaroos. They are very similar, except that wallabies are usually smaller. They are quite closely related. I remember reading your Alaskan posts and your disappointment at not seeing more animals - at least I wasn't the only one who didn't see the animals I expected.

David and I once lived on Norfolk Island. Look for the middle of nowhere and you will find it. It gave us a life-long interest in islands and now we seek them out whenever we can. There are some great car ferries in Australia. You can even get to Tasmania on one.

I have never been a great fan of Tasmania, much to the distress of my Tasmanian friends, however I am now officially a convert. Tasmania is my absolute favourite destination. Not only did we see the white wallabies on Bruny Island (we are already planning a return trip by the way) but today we stood and watched a playpus play in a river at Deloraine. It was utterly magical.

Not sure if my previous comment posted since I was doing it on my phone... Are these white wallabies their own separate subspecies? We saw an albino kangaroo at a sanctuary on Kangaroo Island. When it had its head down, it looked like a giant rat. Bruny Island looks nice, especially that lighthouse.

Hi Michele, Thanks for your persistance, your earlier comment didn't come through. The reason I didn't mention why the wallabies are white is that when I did some research on the internet I got a few conflicting theories. However I think the explanation is that the wallabies are Bennetts Wallabies which are a separate subspecies but Bennetts Wallabies are usually brown. The white wallabies are albinos which have interbred so that the recessive characteristic has become common.

I love the view from The Neck and those wallabies are so cute! What a shame you didn't see whales in Alaska, but hopefully this made up for it. Would have been neat to stay overnight and see the penguins and to go biking as I know you and David like biking so much!

We have never been to Bruny Island, and come to think of it, we have never been to Tasmania either. I guess that the penguins of Phillips Island are the closest we came to seeing the white wallabies of Bruny. But we are reading your wonderful articles, taking notes, and who knows ... there might be some white wallabies in our future. Thanks for a wonderful article!

Haha - I am glad you are taking notes! The penguins on Phillip Island are fantastic - definitely one of my favourite wildlife experiences but I was sorry to miss seeing them on Bruny. We are planning a return trip to fix that. In a couple of weeks I will put up my post on the penguins of Low Head, near Launceston.

Hi Lyn,We just arrived to Bruny Island to spend some hours tomorrow...main objectives: see the white wallabie and make a trail. We read your post, walked to the road you said you saw the wallabies and ... we saw the SAME two white wallabies! So thanks a lot for spend the time writing this recomendation. Tomorrow we will go to do the trail! 😉Nor and Ruth (Gran Canaria Island, Spain)

These wallabies are incredilbe! I am in Tasmania in late October/November, will try to fit in Bruny Island now. And you mentioned a blond enchidna? What is it about the island that turns its animals into natural blonds I wonder :)